Pankow

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Pankow
Pankow Burgerpark.jpg
Entrance of the Bürgerpark in the district
Flagge Bezirk Pankow.svg
Coat of arms of borough Pankow.svg
Location of Pankow in Berlin
Berlin Bezirk Pankow (labeled).svg
Germany adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Pankow
Berlin location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Pankow
Coordinates: 52°34′N13°24′E / 52.567°N 13.400°E / 52.567; 13.400
Country Germany
State Berlin
City Berlin
Subdivisions13 localities
Government
   Borough Mayor Cordelia Koch (Greens)
Area
  Total103.07 km2 (39.80 sq mi)
Population
 (2023-12-31) [1]
  Total424,307
  Density4,100/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registration B
Website berlin.de/ba-pankow

Pankow (German: [ˈpaŋkoː] ) is the most populous and the second-largest borough by area of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow. Pankow was sometimes claimed by the Western Allies (United States, United Kingdom, and France) to be the capital of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), while the German Democratic Republic itself considered East Berlin to be its capital.

Contents

Overview

The borough, named after the Panke river, covers the northeast of the city region, including the inner city locality of Prenzlauer Berg. It borders Mitte and Reinickendorf in the west, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in the south, and Lichtenberg in the east. Pankow is Berlin's largest borough by population and the second largest by area (after Treptow-Köpenick).

Between 1945 and 1960, Schönhausen Palace and the nearby Majakowskiring street in the Niederschönhausen locality of Pankow was the home to many members of the East German government. Western writers therefore often referred to Pankow as a metonym for the East German regime—as reflected by Udo Lindenberg's song Sonderzug nach Pankow . The fact that "-ow" is rare as an ending for place names in West Germany and – especially in the wrong but common pronunciation /'pankof/ – sounds Slavic or more specifically "Russian" to German ears may have played a role in this use as it carried a connotation of the East German government being a foreign, more specifically Russian/Soviet, puppet regime — a claim right leaning newspapers and politicians often made much more openly than through this mere insinuation and connotation.

The Rykestrasse Synagogue, Germany's largest synagogue, is located in the Prenzlauer Berg locality. The Weißensee Cemetery is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. In northern Prenzlauer Berg, the Wohnstadt ("residential town") Carl Legien is part of the Berlin Modernist Housing Estates UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Weißer See is the borough's largest natural body of water.

Subdivision

Subdivisions of Pankow Berlin Pankow.svg
Subdivisions of Pankow

The Pankow borough consists of 13 localities:

Politics

District council

The governing body of Pankow is the district council (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung). It has responsibility for passing laws and electing the city government, including the mayor. The most recent district council election was held on 26 September 2021, and the results were as follows:

PartyLead candidateVotes %+/-Seats+/-
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)Cordelia Koch56,34924.7Increase2.svg 4.116Increase2.svg 4
The Left (LINKE) Sören Benn 44,35119.4Decrease2.svg 1.612Decrease2.svg 1
Social Democratic Party (SPD)Rona Tietje38,98418.1Decrease2.svg 3.011Decrease2.svg 1
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)Denise Bittner28,16512.3Decrease2.svg 0.48±0
Alternative for Germany (AfD)Daniel Krüger17,8227.8Decrease2.svg 5.55Decrease2.svg 3
Free Democratic Party (FDP)Thomas Enge13,2415.8Increase2.svg 1.93Increase2.svg 1
Tierschutzpartei 6,0532.7New0New
Die PARTEI 5,3102.3Decrease2.svg 0.30±0
dieBasis 4,2361.9New0New
Volt Germany 3,9801.7New0New
The Greys3,4291.5New0New
Free Voters 2,3151.0New0New
Klimaliste 1,8850.8New0New
Renters' Party1,5230.7Decrease2.svg 0.90±0
Ecological Democratic Party 4590.2New0New
Valid votes228,10299.3
Invalid votes1,5610.7
Total229,663100.055±0
Electorate/voter turnout310,04974.1Increase2.svg 7.3
Source: Elections Berlin

District government

The district mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister) is elected by the Bezirksverordnetenversammlung, and positions in the district government (Bezirksamt) are apportioned based on party strength. Sören Benn of The Left was elected mayor on 27 October 2016. Since the 2021 municipal elections, the composition of the district government is as follows:

CouncillorPartyPortfolio
Sören Benn LINKE District Mayor
Economy, Finance, Staff and Logistics
Cordelia Koch GRÜNE Deputy Mayor
Social Affairs, Health and Planning
Rona Tietje SPD Urban Development and Civil Service
Manuela Anders-Granitzki CDU Public Order, Streets, Green Spaces and Environment
Cornelius Bechtler GRÜNE Youth
Dominique Krössin LINKE Education, Sport and Culture
Source: Berlin.de

Transportation

Motorised transportation

Pankow's road network is characterised by three radial axes to and from the city centre at Alexanderplatz - all of them running in a north/north-eastern direction: B96a (Schönhauser Allee/Berliner Straße), B109 (Prenzlauer Allee/Prenzlauer Promenade) and B2 (Greifswalder Straße/Berliner Allee). B109 leads to A114; Pankow is also the only borough in Berlin which is directly served by the Berliner Ring A10.

The ring roads of Danziger Straße (within the Berlin S-Bahn circle line) and Ostseestraße - Wisbyer Straße - Bornholmer Straße also of high importance.

Public transportation

Pankow is served by the S-Bahn lines S1, S2, S25, S26, S41, S42, S8 and S85. The northeastern part of the Berlin S-Bahn circle line is located in Pankow, which includes the stations of Storkower Straße, Landsberger Allee, Greifswalder Straße, Prenzlauer Allee and Schönhauser Allee. Bornholmer Straße station and Wollankstraße station border the borough of Mitte, while Schönholz station and Wilhelmsruh station border Reinickendorf. The Stettiner Bahn serves Pankow, Pankow-Heinersdorf, Blankenburg, Karow and Buch.

In addition to the S-Bahn, five U-Bahn stations are located in the borough of Pankow: Senefelderplatz, Eberswalder Straße, Schönhauser Allee, Vinetastraße and Pankow. At Schönhauser Allee and Pankow, travellers can change to S-Bahn services.

Twin towns – sister cities

Pankow is twinned with: [2]

Photogallery

School behind the town hall Reinhold Burger Schule.jpg
School behind the town hall
Town hall Rathaus Pankow (2009).jpg
Town hall
Pankow Church Imago0092915010s.jpg
Pankow Church
Public transport station in Pankow Public transport station pankow.jpg
Public transport station in Pankow

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Bornholmer Straße station</span>

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Karow is a German locality (Ortsteil) within the Berlin borough (Bezirk) of Pankow. Until 2001 it was part of the former Weißensee borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blankenburg (Berlin)</span> Quarter of Berlin in Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelmsruh</span> Quarter of Berlin in Germany

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References

  1. "Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner im Land Berlin am 31. Dezember 2023". Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg. February 2024.
  2. "Städtepartnerschaften". berlin.de (in German). Berlin. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.